This invention relates to a tool handle assembly, generally, and to an improved releasable handle fastener and method particularly adapted for releasably securing a pair or mating handle parts of a tool holder.
Various tool handle assemblies are known which secure handles without compartments in the handle. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,244 issued Nov. 7, 1961 to Austin, a blade tool is secured between a resilient sleeve compressed by a T-bolt. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,396 issued Oct. 11, 1983 to Scholl, the handle is secured by a conventional rivet.
While these function to secure handle portions of a blade tool holder, neither provides for securing handle parts having compartmental forming segments and Scholl does not provide for easy release of the handle parts.
Various tool handle assemblies are known which secure handle parts having compartment forming segments. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,002 issued June 10, 1975 to Grahorn, the handle parts are secured together by a conventional screw. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,940 issued Mar. 18, 1986 to Wenzel, the handle parts are secured by a conventional screw that passes through one handle part and threadingly secures to the other handle part with a spring on the shaft of the screw interposed between both handle parts.
While both of the fasteners function to releasibly secure handle parts having compartment forming segments, neither are capable of maintaining the fastener secured to one handle part when the fastener is disengaged from the other handle part. Further, Wenzel does not secure the biasing spring to the fastener assembly when the fastener is completely disengaged to permit access to the compartment within the handle. This situation can create an inefficient and frustrating experience to a user when disengaging the handle parts to gain access to a compartment within the handle parts when the fasten comes off of the one handle part.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,462 issued Apr. 14, 1987 to Hoen, provides a quarter turn fastener for removably securing a first panel to a second panel. The device utilizes a bolt portion, a spring retainer, a spring to bias the fastener to the top of the first member to be secured. Hoen further utilizes a locking ring retainer on the shaft of the fastener beneath the first sheet member to be secured. This locking ring can ride up the shaft when the two sheet metal members are secured together and does not move downwardly when the fastener is released. When the fastener is secured, the locking ring rests immediately on top of the second member that is secured and immediately under the first sheet member.
This device does not have any shaft of the fastener extending between the locking ring and the second sheet member. As a result, it is not capable of securing two members together that are spaced apart. Further, its locking ring does not maintain a preselected distance from the spring retainer cap, as a result, the compression force on the spring will not be a constant but will vary depending on the thickness of the first sheet member to be secured. This varying of compression force does not provide for stabilizing the fastener in alignment between the openings of the two sheet members to be fastened when the fastener is disengaged. As a result, it does not provide ease in securement of the members being secured in the blind.